1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a device for retaining in side-by-side relationship flexible tying means and more particularly, but not exclusively, for temporarily retaining, as a theft prevention measure, the laces of the shoes of a pair previously inserted in the laceholes of the shoes, in particular for shoes offered for sale in stores or store departments of the self-service kind.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In this kind of retailing operation, shoes are displayed in pairs, the two shoes of each pair being attached together by means of a nylon thread. The shoes are placed either loose in a bin or on shelving or other forms of display unit and, with no sales staff present, customers choose, take down and try on for themselves the design which interests them.
By virtue of the absence of sales staff and the lack of continuous surveillance, it is very frequently the case that shoelaces are stolen, as they are not attached to the shoes. This significantly reduces turnover since the pairs of shoes without laces are simply ignored by customers.
The theft of the shoelaces also means that the pairs of shoes without laces must be constantly or periodically removed from display, using valuable time and tying up staff.
The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages by offering a system which is capable of preventing the theft of shoelaces while enabling shoes to be displayed in pairs with their laces.